Cuba-US deal: Cuba releases first prisoners following agreement

There is joy among families of those freed, but also concern that the deal may not last for long.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersCuba frees first jailed anti-government protesters after US dealReutersDariel Cruz García was among the first to be released by the Cuban government after the Vatican-brokered dealCuba has started to release the first of hundreds of prisoners it agreed to free following a deal with the United States.

Under the agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism just days before his term ends.

In return, the Cuban government said it would free 553 people, many of whom were detained during anti-government protests that swept through the Communist-run island in 2021.

While Havana has cautiously welcomed the deal, there are doubts as to how long it will last after President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, appeared to hint that it could be reversed.

Speaking at his Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday, Rubio said referring to some of the sanctions on Cuba that the Biden administration rescinded on Tuesday that "the new administration is not bound by that decision".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8edw201jx6o

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